With the FIBA U19 women's basketball World Cup more than halfway over, some themes are emerging for Team USA in addition to simply blowing out every opponent.
While the Americans have had the clear edge in pretty much every facet of the game in all four matchups, their biggest advantage has been in the paint where center Sienna Betts is averaging 18.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks on 63.3% shooting.
Betts (Grandview, CO – UCLA) went for 21 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks on Wednesday shooting 10-17 from the field as USA blew out China 122-57 in the round of 16. The Americans move on to the quarterfinals, where they'll take on France on Friday in what'll likely be their toughest game so far.
China showed a bit of resistance early on, trailing 28-18 after one quarter before the Americans ran away with the rest of the game.
Betts set the tone as the USA absolutely dominated the glass for the fourth time in four outings, outrebounding China 67-30. Five other Americans grabbed between six and nine rebounds, and four of those players eclipsed 10 points as well.
Saniyah Hall (Montverde Academy, FL) totaled 19 points, nine rebounds, and four steals. Jazzy Davidson (Clackamas, OR – USC) had 18 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and two steals on 7-10 shooting after totaling 25 points and eight assists a day prior. Kate Harpring (Marist School, GA) had 15 points, seven assists, and six rebounds, scoring between 13 and 15 points for the third game in a row. And Addison Bjorn (Park Hill South, MO) grabbed seven rebounds for the second day in a row to go with 11 points and two assists on 3-4 shooting.
Other top performers included Jerzy Robinson (Sierra Canyon, CA), who scored 13 points and plucked three steals, eclipsing 12 points for the third time in four games. Providence Academy (MN) senior and Kentucky commit Maddyn Greenway had four points and nine assists, which puts her average up to 6.0 APG, good for third in the tournament. And Emilee Skinner (Ridgeline, UT – Duke) added four points, six rebounds, and five assists.
Texas guard/wing Jordan Lee, who's been an energizer, connector, and defensive menace in the starting lineup, was a game-high +48 in 19 minutes despite a pedestrian floor game (six points, three assists, two steals).
Kejia Ran led China with 13 points, eight rebounds, and three assists.
USA is still yet to shoot from the perimeter like it's capable of, making an average of 5.8 threes per game at a 34.3% clip. But the team is shooting 59% from inside the arc and averaging 58.3 rebounds per game. The Americans have established their identity by winning the paint and turnover battles, leading to countless easy looks, and they've seen tremendous consistency at an individual level in terms of both production and embracing roles.
Betts and company might not need to shoot any better – or more frequently – from the perimeter to cruise to a gold medal. France, however, should provide some resistance inside with size at every position. Its most productive players have been 6-foot-3 post Sarah Cisse, wings Ainhoa Risacher (6-2) and Nell Angloma (6-2), and guard Ines Pitarch-Granel (5-11) and Stella Colas (5-9).
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